Monofilament Footwear Lining

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an upper assembly ( 12 ) for a waterproof, water vapor permeable footwear article ( 10 ), the upper assembly comprising a laminate ( 16 ) including a waterproof water vapor permeable functional layer ( 22 ) and an inner lining layer ( 24 ) directly attached to the functional layer ( 22 ) on an inner side of functional layer ( 22 ), the inner lining layer ( 24 ) being a knitted or woven fabric made with monofilaments.

The present invention relates to an upper assembly for a waterproof,water vapor permeable footwear article, and to a waterproof, waterpermeable footwear article comprising such upper assembly.

Known approaches for providing waterproof and breathable footwearincluded the use of upper materials (i.e. leather) treated to make theupper water resistant. The upper material loses its breathability whentreated to impart water resistance, thus making the footwearuncomfortable for the wearer. An alternative approach to the goal ofachieving comfortable waterproof footwear involved employing a vaporpermeable and waterproof insert or bootie into the shoe. Furtherapproaches have included securing a waterproof, breathable linermaterial to the inside of the footwear upper and sealing the linermaterial to a waterproof gasket or insole. There have been manydifferent attempts at providing a durable, waterproof seal or connectionat the region where the liner material is joined with the waterproofgasket or insole. These attempts have resulted in varying degrees ofsuccess.

In the footwear art, materials which are both waterproof and water vaporpermeable are commonly referred to as “functional” materials or“barrier” materials. Exemplary of such a functional material is amicroporous, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane materialavailable from W. L. Gore and Associates GmbH, Putzbrunn, Germany, underthe trade name GORE-TEX(R). Other functional materials have also beendeveloped and are well known in the art.

One problem which often results when forming such waterproof, breathablefootwear is that the insertion of the waterproof, vapor permeable lineror bootie will often result in a poor fitting shoe (i.e., a smaller fitdue to the liner being inserted into the already sized shoe upper)and/or poor attachment between the liner or bootie and the shoe uppermaterial. This results in, among other things, a less than desirableappearance of the inside of the footwear and even discomfort in use,since the liner appears wrinkled or pulls away from the upper.

In practically all footwear applications used up to date, the functionallayer has been covered by at least one additional inner liner facingtowards the interior of the footwear during use. The additional innerliner provides for improved visual appearance and also for bettercomfort to the wearer of the footwear in use. Such inner liners are madeof materials, e.g. textile materials, leather, or polymeric materials,being soft and able to take up moisture in order to enhance comfort.Such inner liners are also very often thick to improve comfort and takeup of moisture. Typical inner liners are made of all kinds of fabriclike woven fabric, knit fabric, or non-woven fabric made ofmultifilament yarns having wicking characteristics in order to absorbmoisture produced by the foot of the wearer. Inner liners are also madeof leather, polymeric “artificial leather”, or non-woven fabric. Theseinner liner fabrics are also often combined with foam or nonwoven layerto increase thickness and provide cushioning and stand. An example for afabric used as an inner liner in footwear articles is a non-wovenmaterial sold under the name “Cambrelle”. Typically inner liners arethick and heavy to provide abrasion resistance and durability.

A number of footwear applications use a three layer laminate having afunctional layer embedded between two textile layers. The textile layerfacing inwards is a liner as described above. The additional textilelayer facing outwards is a mesh.

Footwear liners in the form of a three layer and/or a two layer laminateare mostly hanging loose within the upper assembly and are fixed onlyalong the upper edge of the upper assembly, or are fixed discontinuouslyto the upper material forming an outer shell of the upper assembly, e.g.by using adhesive dots.

US 2011/0179677 A1 discloses an article of footwear having a hybridupper construction including a superior compartment and an inferiorcompartment. The superior compartment includes a laminate composed of aninnermost layer (closest to the food) and at least one polymeric filmlayer. The polymeric film layer is made of a vapor permeable, waterproofpolymeric film attached to the outer side of the innermost layer. In oneembodiment the polymeric film layer is sandwiched between the innermostlayer and an outer layer.

The innermost layer is made of a lightweight material that providescomfort and breathability to the user when the user's foot comes incontact with the innermost layer during normal use and wear of thearticle of footwear. This material may include a nonwoven fabric, a knitfabric or woven fabric made of multifilament yarn, such as rayon, nylon,and/or polyester yarn. In one example, the innermost layer is made of a170 g/m² hydrophilic nylon, texturized polyester knit.

US 2004/0216332 A1 discloses a waterproof, vapor permeable footwearconstruction having an upper assembly with an upper and a layer oftextile material forming an upper layer located underneath the uppernext to the foot of the wearer of the footwear. A wide variety offabrics made up with multifilament yarns can be utilized for the upperlayer including woven, nonwoven and knit fabrics, e.g. a warp knitfabric. Examples of warp knit fabrics include an abrasive resistantpolyester and nylon combination fabric sold under the trademark ECLIPSE100H™, a lightweight nylon fabric sold under the trademark ECLIPSE400H™, and a three bar knit fabric.

For footwear intended for use in warmer climate conditions, vaporpermeability of the materials used and reduced thickness of the layersto increase heat loss and reduce weight is of utmost importance. Yet,waterproofness and high durability are additional requirements thattypically restrict achievable vapor permeability of such footwear. Therequirement of durability typically also implies constraints withrespect to achievable weight reduction. This applies the more in case offootwear to be used during strenuous activities in harsh environments,as is the case for footwear for military, civil defense, fire fightingor similarly demanding applications, for example.

During use in wet conditions it may happen that moisture, usually in theform of water or other liquids, enters into the inside of the footwearover the upper edge area of the upper assembly, e.g. when crossing ariver or when walking on highly rainy or muddy ground. Footwear shouldbe able to re-dry fast after having become wet on the inside. Aparticular problem with conventional footwear is that, in a situationwhere the interior of the footwear has become wet, the inner linerbecomes soaked with moisture, thus making the footwear heavy,uncomfortable and difficult to re-dry.

Thus, there remains a need for highly mechanically resistant footwearthat maintains a high degree of durability and breathability in use,even in case of extended use in harsh environments and under relativelywarm climate conditions. There is also a need for light and highlybreathable footwear, even in case where such footwear is to be used inextremely wet and harsh environment.

According to the invention, an upper assembly for a waterproof, watervapor permeable footwear article comprises a laminate including awaterproof, water vapor permeable functional layer, and an inner lininglayer directly attached to the functional layer on an inner side of thefunctional layer. The inner lining layer is a knitted or woven fabricmade with monofilaments.

Knits, as used herein, also include nettings, grid monofilaments andbraids.

Inner side, as used herein, refers to the side of the functional layerfacing towards the foot of the user. The functional layer is sometimesalso referred to as a barrier layer, in view of its function to prevententry of moisture, in the form of liquid water or of other liquids, intothe interior of the footwear.

Monofilaments refer to filaments or fibers made of one single filamentonly. In contrast to ply/twisted/braided yarns, or threads, asconventionally used to produce fabrics, a monofilament thus does nothave an inner structure in form of twisted of braided filaments, butrather is made of a single string of material. In one embodiment inwhich a monofilament is made of polymer, the monofilament has theconfiguration of a single homogeneous string of the polymer material.Such single string may be formed e.g. by extrusion. Due to itshomogeneous structure and absence of any inner structure, moisture, e.g.water vapor and/or liquid water, and/or any other liquids, may be takenup by the monofilament only on a molecular scale, i.e by incorporationof water molecules or liquid molecules into the molecular structure ofthe monofilament material. Thus, the ability of the monofilament to takeup moisture will depend on molecular characteristics of the material themonofilament is made from. Different from multifilaments, there are noinner structures, like voids or capillars, which may increase waterabsorption capability of the monofilament.

Such upper assembly, as well as a footwear article using such upperassembly, has turned out to be lightweight and highly water vaporpermeable. Still, a footwear article using such upper assembly may befully waterproof and durable. Particularly, such footwear article mayhave the capability of re-drying quickly after it has become wet on theinside.

In particular embodiments, the inner lining layer may be made up ofmonofilaments having a water absorption rate of less than 40% accordingto the “Bundesmann test” as described in DIN EN 29685 (1991). In furtherparticular embodiments the monofilaments may have a water absorptionrate of even less than 30%, or even of less than 25%, according to DINEN 29685 (1991). In some embodiments the monofilaments may have a waterabsorption rate of 20% to 35% according to DIN EN 29685.

Water absorption rate as used herein, refers to a water absorption rateof the monofilaments as measured using a laminate made up of thefunctional layer (e.g. an ePTFE functional layer as described below) andthe inner lining layer made up of monofilaments. In such laminate thefunctional layer serves as a carrier for the inner lining layer. Waterabsorption is measured on the side of the inner lining layer in anexperimental setup as described in detail in DIN EN 29685 (1991).

The inner lining layer used for the upper assembly, as suggested herein,provides for a particularly low water absorption by the inner lininglayer. Thus, moisture produced by the wearer's foot is not absorbed orotherwise taken up by the inner lining liner, but is transported to thefunctional layer. The inner lining layer has a knit and/or wovenconfiguration formed of monofilaments interlaced with each other to formloops, meshes and/or interstices between weft and warp yarns. Thus, theinner lining layer creates a large number of interstices in between themonofilaments. The monofilaments themselves do not significantly take upmoisture. Also, the interstices formed in the inner lining layer may berelatively large, and thus do not provide for significant capillaryfunction. Rather, moisture is transported through the interstices formedby the inner lining layer towards the functional layer.

The inner lining layer may be lightweight. In some embodiments the innerlining layer may have a textile weight of not more than 130 g/m². Thetextile weight of the inner lining layer may even be not more than 100g/m², or even be not more than 90 g/m². In some embodiments, the textileweight of the inner lining layer may be in the range of 40 g/m² to 130g/m².

Also, the laminate made up of the inner lining layer and the functionallayer, optionally also including an outer textile layer, may belightweight, and thus highly breathable. In some embodiments, thelaminate may have a weight of less than 200 g/m², particularly less than170 g/m², particularly of less than 150 g/m², particularly of 170 g/m²to 90 g/m².

Such embodiments provide for a most lightweight, but still durablefootwear laminate including a functional layer. Breathability of thelaminate is increased while weight can be reduced up to 20% compared toconventional functional layer laminates used in footwear industry.

In still further embodiments, the upper assembly may comprise an outershell. The laminate described herein may be attached to an inner side ofsuch outer shell. In an example, the laminate may be directly attachedto the outer shell using a discontinuous adhesive. The outer shell maybe made from any material as used for conventional breathable uppers inthe footwear industry, e.g. leather. Such material may be selected toachieve a desired visual appearance, abrasion resistance or the like.

Besides being lightweight and highly vapor permeable, the particularconfiguration of the inner lining layer allows for efficient re-dryingafter the inside of the upper assembly has become wet. In particularembodiments, laminates including a functional layer and an inner lininglayer as described above may have a dry-out time of less than one hour,particularly of less than 30 minutes, particularly of 20 minutes,particularly of 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Dry-out time is measuredaccording to the test described below.

In particular embodiments the inner lining layer may have a high wetabrasion resistance of more than 100000 cycles Martindale, measured asdescribed in EN-ISO 20344:2004. Even wet abrasion resistances of morethan 200000 cycles Martindale (EN-ISO 20344:2004), more than 300000cycles or even more than 400000 cycles Martindale (EN-ISO 20344:2004)may be achieved. In some particular embodiments the wet abrasionresistance may be 300000 to 450000 cycles Martindale (EN-ISO20344:2004). Compared to conventional inner linings used for footwear,e.g. as prescribed by EN 20345 requiring 51.200 cycles Martindale forheel counter linings in protective footwear, the abrasion resistance isimproved by 600%, or even more.

In particular embodiments, the inner lining layer may be a warp knit,particularly a three bar warp knit. A three bar warp knit, as a resultof the particular way it is manufactured using three sets of guide barsarranged in three different planes in thickness direction of the fabric,is relatively thick and thus abrasion resistant. However, such fabricmay have a knit structure including relatively large interstices ormeshes. For such reason, a three bar warp knit fabric made up withmonofilaments has turned out to be both abrasion resistant and highlyvapor permeable. Moreover, different materials may be used for themonofilaments depending on particular characteristics. Monofilaments maybe used with each the guide bars of the warp knit. In some applicationsit may be considerable—and is to be considered within the scope of thepresent invention—to use monofilaments only for one or two of the threeguide bars. Embodiments including both monofilaments and multifilamentstypically will have inferior re-dry characteristics than embodimentswhere the inner lining layer is made up using monofilaments exclusively.

Further, the inner lining layer may be a singular knitted fabric.Singular knitted fabrics have a regular and simple knitting pattern,e.g. a simple “right/left” pattern of meshes. Such knits are relativelyelastic and stretchable.

In particular embodiments, the inner lining layer may be made ofmonofilaments of any material of the group consisting of polyamide, likepolyamide 6 or polyamide 6.6, and polyester, and combinations thereof.Such polymer materials have highly non-absorbent molecular structurewith respect to water vapor, water, or other liquids, thus they allowrelatively low water absorption rates if provided in the form ofmonofilaments.

The thickness of the monofilament inner lining layer may be from dtex10/f1 up to dtex 300/f1. A currently preferred thickness is dtex 20/f1.

In still further embodiments of the upper assembly, the laminate furthermay comprise an outer textile layer attached to an outer side of thefunctional layer. The outer textile layer may have the configuration ofa mesh supporting the functional layer and/or improving adherence of thelaminate to an outer shell of the upper assembly, if provided. “Outerside of the functional layer” refers to that side of the functionallayer facing away from the foot in use.

In particular embodiments of the upper assembly, the laminate may extendaround the upper side of the foot. E.g. the laminate may cover the innerside of an upper or outer shell of the footwear wrapping around the sideand upper parts of the foot. The laminate may also, but not necessarilyhas to, cover the underside of the foot, e.g. in the form of a liningcovering an inner side of an insole which extends below the foot. Suchlining may have a sock-like configuration typically referred to a“bootie”, or may be a composite bag like structure of an inner upperlining covering the inner side of the upper and an inner insole liningconnected, alone or together with the insole, to the bottom edges of theinner upper lining.

Using monofilaments for the inner lining layer provides for thepossibility of seam sealing the laminates without using a primer at all.This is a unique benefit, as two pieces of inner lining material may bebonded and sealed to each other, e.g. using stitches and sealing tape,using ultrasonic bond/weld, heat bond/weld, and the like techniqueswithout use of an additional primer. In the same way, two pieces oflaminates each having an inner lining layer made up with, or from,monofilaments can be seam sealed with respect to each other, e.g. usingstitches and sealing tape, using ultrasonic bond/weld, heat bond/weld,and the like techniques, without application of any additionalpreparatory techniques, like primers. This characteristic of an innerlining layer made up with, or from, monofilaments simplifies productionof a footwear article considerably, thus making production particularlyeasy and convenient.

In some embodiments, the inner layer of the laminate may be theinnermost layer of the upper assembly, i.e. the layer closest to thefoot. In such configuration, the inner layer will be in direct contactwith the foot of the person wearing the footwear and thus determinecomfort.

In still further embodiments, the upper assembly further may comprise anouter shell, the laminate being attached to an inner side of the outershell. Such outer shell may be made of any material as used forconventional footwear uppers, and may be selected according to a desiredvisual appearance and/or abrasion resistance of the footwear. “Innerside” refers to that side of the outer shell facing towards the foot. Inone embodiment, the upper laminate may be directly attached (bonded) tothe inner side of the outer shell in a breathable manner over the wholesurface of the inner side of the outer shell.

The upper assembly described above may be used in construction of afootwear article. Such footwear article may include an upper assembly asdescribe above and a sole in communication with the upper assembly. Thesole may be cemented to the upper assembly, or injected to the upperassembly. Other configuration for attaching a prefabricated sole to theupper assembly, like high frequency welding or stitching, areconceivable as well.

In particular embodiments, a footwear article may be provided having awhole boot moisture vapor transmission rate of 7 g/hr or greater,particularly of 8.75 g/hr or greater, particularly of 8 to 9.5 g/hr.

Particular embodiments of a footwear article using an upper assemblyaccording to the embodiments set out above, may be waterproof accordingto the Dynamic Water Penetration Test set out below. It has been shownthat such footwear article may successfully fulfil more than 100000 flexcycles, particularly more than 300000 flex cycles, in some embodimentseven more than 500,000 flex cycles of the Dynamic Water PenetrationTest.—E.g. in some particular embodiments between 350000-1000000 flexcycles may be fulfilled successfully, i.e. without significant entry ofwater into the interior of the shoe (see ISO 20344:2011),

DEFINITIONS AND TEST METHODS Functional Layer:

The term “functional material” refers to materials which are bothwaterproof and water vapor permeable. Such materials are typicallyprovided in laminar configuration, thus forming layers or sheets.Exemplary of such a functional material is a microporous, expandedpolytetrafluoroethylene membrane material available from W. L. Gore andAssociates GmbH, Putzbrunn, Germany, under the trade name GORE-TEX(R).Other functional materials have also been developed and are well knownin the art.

Functional materials are often provided in form of laminates where atleast one layer made of functional material is laminated together withat least one additional layer. Laminates in footwear industry arecomprised of at least two layers, e.g in the form of a two layerlaminate including a functional layer supported on a textile layer.Alternatively, three layer laminates may be used having a functionallayer sandwiched in between two water vapor permeable, but notnecessarily waterproof, fabric layers. Such laminates may also have adiscontinuous adhesive applied to the functional layer on one or bothsides in order to adhere the functional layer to an outer shell or to aninner lining material, like leather, in a separate step.

“Functional” materials or “functional” layers often are referred to as“barrier” materials or layers.

Knit Fabric:

As used herein, the term “knit fabric” refers to any fabric or textilehaving a configuration with at least one yarn or thread turned intoconsecutive rows of loops, called loopstitches. As each row progresses,a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active loopstitchesare held on a needle until another loop can be passed through them.

In the process of knitting a fabric is formed by the intermeshing ofloops of yarn or yarns. Each yarn follows a meandering path, calledcourse, thus forming loops symmetrically to the meandering path of theyarn. When one loop is drawn through another, loopstitch is formed.Loopstitches may be formed in horizontal (weft knitting) or verticaldirection (warp knitting). A sequence of loopstitches in which eachstitch is suspended front the next is called a wale.

Weft knitting is a method of forming a fabric in which the loops aremade in horizontal way from a single yarn, and intermeshing of loopstakes place in a crosswise direction, i.e. the wales are perpendicularto the course of the yarn. Weft knitting may be knit using only oneyarn, or using a multiplicity of yarns.

Warp knitting is a method of fabric forming in which the loops are madein a vertical way along the length of the fabric from each warp yarn,and intermeshing of loops takes place in a lengthwise direction. In warpknitting, the wales and courses run parallel. One yarn is required foreach wale, thus numerous ends of yarns are being fed simultaneously toindividual needles placed in a lateral direction.

Knits, as used herein also includes nettings, grid monofils and braids.

Woven Fabric:

Woven fabric refers to a fabric formed by weaving. Weaving is a processof fabric forming by the interlacement of warp and weft yarns. Both warpand weft yarns run essentially straight and parallel to each other,either lengthwise (warp) or crosswise (weft). Woven fabric onlystretches diagonally on the bias directions (between the warp and weftdirections), unless the threads are elastic.

Non-Woven Fabric:

Non-woven fabric refers to a fabric-like material, such as felt, whichis neither woven nor knitted. Non-woven fabric is made from fibres,bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment.Non-woven fabric, unless densified or reinforced by a backing, typicallylacks mechanical strength.

RET Test Method for the Functional Layer Laminate:

Water vapor permeability may be expressed by water vapor transmissionresistance (RET) The water vapor transmission resistance (RET) is aspecific material property of sheet-like structures or composites whichdetermines the latent evaporation heat flux through a given area of thesheet-like structure or composite, under a constant partial pressuregradient. RET is measured by the Hohenstein skin model, of theBekleidungsphysiologisches Institute (Apparel Physiology Institute] e.V.Hohenstein. The Hohenstein skin model is described in ISO 11092:1993.

Dynamic Footwear Water Penetration Test

Waterproofness, as used herein, may be expressed by a dynamic footwearwater penetration test carried out according to ISO 20344:2011. Thistest method is intended to provide a means of evaluating the degree ofwater resistance of footwear. The method is applicable to all types offootwear, particularly shoes and boots.

The footwear is secured in a flexing machine with water at a definedlevel above the featherline (i.e. the edge between the sole and upper).The footwear is flexed at a constant rate and inspected at predefinedintervals for water penetration.

The flexing machine comprises, at each testing station:

(i) a system for flexing the footwear through an angle of (22±5)° at arate of (60±6) flexes per min; and(ii) a flexible foot-form which is fitted inside the footwear to controlthe way the footwear flexes (this footform may be provided with watersensors)

The total wetted area inside the footwear shall be not greater than 3cm² when tested in accordance with either of:

-   -   ISO 20344:2011, 5.15.1, after 100 trough lengths (MP), or    -   ISO 20344:2011, 5.15.2, after 80 min (corresponding to 80        flexing cycles on the system for flexing the footwear described        under (i) above)

Test for Determining Water Absorption Rate of Inner Lining:

Determining the water absorption properties of textile structures isusing a rain test according to the Bundesmann test described in DIN EN29865 (1991).

The rain unit creates rain defined by water volume, drop size anddistance of rain unit to test samples. The test runs for 10 minutes.

The water absorption (Test I) of the fabric and/or laminate are measuredaccording to the following method:

-   1. Determination of the weight of the sample (fabric/laminate);-   2. Performing the Bundesmann rain test for 10 minutes;-   3. Spinning of the sample for 15 s;-   4. Determination of the weight of the sample;-   5. Calculation of the weight gain in % related to the sample before    the Bundesmann rain test.

Determination of Dry-Out Time According to Bundesmann Rain Test:

The Bundesmann rain test (DIN EN 29685) may be used to determine dry-outtime as follows:

-   1. Carry out the Bundesmann rain test according to a) above, and    calculate the weight gain of the sample after the Bundesmann rain    test related to the sample before the Bundesmann rain test (in %);-   2. Put the sample in a conditioned room (23° C., 50% air moisture);-   3. Measure the weight of the sample every 30 minutes (related to the    weight of the sample before Bundesmann rain test, in %);-   4. Continue measurement of the weight up to a maximum of 3 hours, or    until the sample has reached its weight before the Bundesmann rain    test.

Wet Abrasion Resistance Test

The wet abrasion Martindale test is a test to check the abrasionresistance of footwear linings, i.e. the innermost textile side adjacentto the foot, according to EN ISO 20344:2004, 6.12. Such test involvesabrading circular test pieces on a reference abradant, under a specifiedpressure, with a cyclic planar motion on the form of a Lissajous figure.The resistance to abrasion is assessed by subjecting the test piece to adefined number of cycles at which point it shall not exhibit any holes.

The test is continued until either a hole forms in the test piece or theintende number of cycles have been performed (see below). If the fabricsample has a hole, it is only necessary to take account of holes in thebase fabric. A hole should only be considered as a hole when it extendsthrough the full thickness of the layer constituting the wear surface.This is assessed by the naked eye.

EN ISO 20345 specifies abrasion requirements for linings of differentcomponents of footwear, under dry and wet conditions, as follows:

When tested in accordance with ISO 20344:2011, 6.12, the lining shallnot develop any holes before the following number of flex cycles hasbeen performed:

For vamp and quarter lining:

-   -   25600 flex cycles when dry;    -   12800 flex cycles when wet.

For seat region lining:

-   -   51200 flex cycles when dry;    -   25600 flex cycles when wet.

For heel counter lining:

-   -   51200 flex cycles when wet.

Whole Boot Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate Test

The Whole Boot Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR) for each samplewas determined in accordance with Department of Defense Army Combat BootTemperate Weather Specifications. The specifications are as follows:

Whole Boot Breathability:

The boot breathability test shall be designed to indicate the MoistureVapor Transmission Rate (MVTR) through the boot by means of a differencein concentration of moisture vapor between the interior and the exteriorenvironment.

Apparatus:

a. The external test environment control system shall be capable ofmaintaining 23 (+−1) C and 50%+−2% relative humidity throughout the testduration.b. The weight scale shall be capable of determining weight of bootsfilled with water to an accuracy of (+−0.01) gram.c. The water holding bag shall be flexible so that it can be insertedinto the boot and conform to the interior contours; it must be thinenough so that folds do not create air gaps; it must have much higherMVTR than the footwear product to be tested; and it must be waterproofso that only moisture vapor contacts the interior of the footwearproduct rather than liquid water.d. The internal heater for the boot shall be capable of controlling thetemperature of the liquid water uniformly in the boot to 35 (+−1) C.e. The boot plug shall be impervious to both liquid water and watervapor.

Procedure:

a. Place boot in test environment.b. Insert holding bag into boot opening and fill with water to a heightof 12.5 cm (5 in) measured from inside sole.c. Insert water heater and seal opening with boot plug.d. Heat water in boot to 35 C.e. Weigh boot sample and record as Wi.f. Hold temperature in boot after weighing for a minimum of 6 hours.g. After 6 hours, reweigh boot sample. Record weight as Wf and testduration as Td.h. Compute whole boot MVTR in grams/hour from the equation below:

MVTR=(Wi−Wf)/Td

Method of Inspection:

Each boot shall be tested in accordance with the method described above.The average whole boot MVTR from the 5 boots tested shall be greaterthan 3.5 grams/hour to satisfy the breathability standard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Particular embodiments of the invention are described in the followingdetailed description by way of example and taking reference to thedrawings. The drawings show:

FIG. 1 is a perspective and cross-sectional view of a waterproof, vaporpermeable footwear article.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the footwear article shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 a,b are a schematic views showing an inner liner in form a threebar warp knit made of monofilaments from its two opposite “right” and“left” sides.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an inner liner in form a woven madeof monofilaments.

The figures illustrate certain embodiments. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that these embodiments do not represent the fullscope of the invention which is broadly applicable in the form ofvariations and equivalents as may be embraced by the claims appendedhereto. Furthermore, features described or illustrated as part of oneembodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still a furtherembodiment. It is intended that the scope of the claims extend to allsuch variations and embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a waterproof breathable footwear article 10. The footweararticle 10 includes an upper assembly 12 and a sole 18. In FIG. 1 sole18 is made of polymer material, e.g. polyurethane. Although shown inform of a monolithical sole 18, sole 18 may have a composite structuremade of various sole layers or elements, like midsole, outsole, orfurther layers to improve comfort or stablilization characteristics. Thesole 18 may even include an outsole made of leather. Sole 18 may be aprefabricated sole assembly which is joined to the upper assembly 12,e.g. by cementing or direct injection molding. Alternatively, sole 18may be formed by direct injection molding of polymer material, e.gpolymer material forming an outsole, to the upper assembly 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper assembly 12 includes an outer shell 14, anupper laminate 16 and an insole 28. The upper laminate 16 is composed ofan inner lining layer 24 (closest to foot), a functional layer 22, andan outer textile layer 26 (furthest from foot). The outer textile layer26 is disposed directly to the inner side of outer shell 14. In someembodiments, the outer textile layer 26 may be made of typical shoeupper materials, like leather. In such cases, no separate outer shell 14need be provided. The functional layer 22 is often referred to as“barrier layer” in view of one of its functions, namely to prevent entryof moisture (water or other liquids).

The outer shell 14 may be made of any vapor permeable material us usedfor footwear uppers, e.g. leather, and/or a robust vapor permeablefabrics material. In examples, outer shell 14 may include a wovenfabric, a knit fabric, a nonwoven fabric, leather, synthetic leather,perforated rubber, polymer mesh, a discontinuous pattern ofnon-breathable material, the like, or combinations thereof. Outer shell14 may also include a protective cover constructed of a variety ofmaterials including, but not limited to, leather, woven fabric, knitfabric, synthetic leather, perforated rubber, polymer mesh, adiscontinuous pattern of non-breathable material, nonwoven fabric, thelike, or combinations thereof. Regardless of the type of material usedfor the protective cover, it should be of sufficient durability toprotect the upper laminate 16 during normal use of the footwear articleand breathable enough to maintain comfort within the shoe. The type ofmaterial utilized for the outer shell 14 will be selected such as toprovide sufficient abrasion resistance to the upper assembly 12, toprovide adequate protection for the wearer of the article of footwear.Protective cover is optional and may be omitted where outer shell 14itself provides for sufficient protection of upper laminate 16 and thewearer's foot.

The functional layer 22 may comprise a film. Desirably, the film mayinclude polymeric materials such as fluoropolymers, polyolefins,polyurethanes, and polyesters. Suitable polymers may comprise resinsthat can be processed to form porous or microporous membrane structures.For example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resins that can be processedto form stretched porous structures are suitable for use herein. Forexample, PTFE resins can be stretched to form microporous membranestructures characterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils whenexpanded according to the process taught in patents such as in U.S. Pat.No. 3,953,566, U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,405, or U.S. Pat. No. 7,306,729. Insome embodiments, expanded PTFE fluoropolymer films are made from PTFEresins according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,589, having comonomer units ofpolyfluorobutylethylene (PFBE). For example, microporous expanded PTFE(ePTFE) fluoropolymers can comprise PTFE having from about 0.05% byweight to about 0.5% by weight of comonomer units of PFBE based upon thetotal polymer weight.

In one embodiment, the film includes ePTFE having a microstructurecharacterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils, wherein the pores ofthe porous film are sufficiently tight so as to provide liquidproofnessand sufficiently open to provide properties such as water vaportransmission, and/or penetration by coatings of colorants and oleophobiccompositions. For example, in some embodiments, it is desirable for theporous membranes to have an average median flow pore size of less thanor equal to about 400 nm to provide water resistance, and a median flowpore size greater than about 50 nm for colorization. This may beaccomplished by compounding a PTFE resin which is suited to produce anode and fibril microstructure upon stretching. The resin can be blendedwith an aliphatic hydrocarbon lubricant extrusion aid such as a mineralspirit. The compounded resin may be formed into a cylindrical pellet andpaste extruded by known procedures into a desired extrudable shape,preferably a tape or membrane. The article can be calendared to thedesired thickness between rolls and then thermally dried to remove thelubricant. The dried article is expanded by stretching in the machineand/or transverse directions, for example, according to the teachings ofU.S. Pat. No. 3,953,566, 5,814,405, or 7,406,729, to produce an expandedPTFE structure characterized by a series of nodes which areinterconnected by fibrils. The ePTFE article is then amorphously lockedby heating the article above the crystalline melt point of PTFE, forexample between about 343° C.-375° C.

The ePTFE may be covered by a film of hydrophilic material, particularlypolyurethane, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,041.

The upper laminate 16 has the configuration of a three-layer laminatewith the functional layer 22 forming the middle layer of such threelayer laminate.

An outer textile layer 26 of the upper laminate 16 faces towards theinner side of the outer shell 14. The outer textile layer is made of aknit fabric.

The upper laminate 16 further comprises an inner lining layer 26provided on the inner side of the functional layer 22. Thus, the innerlining layer 26 is the innermost layer of the upper assembly, i.e. thelayer closest to the foot of the wearer in use. In such position, theinner lining layer 26 is directly exposed to any sweat produced by thewearer's foot.

The inner lining layer 24 is desirably made from a lightweight materialthat provides comfort and breathability to the user when the user's footcomes into contact with the inner lining layer 24 during normal use andwear of the article of footwear 10. Such materials may include, but arenot limited to, a knit fabric (see FIG. 3 a/3 b), or woven fabric (seeFIG. 4).

The inner lining layer 24 is made from at least one monofilament 32,i.e. made from at least one filament or fiber made of one singlefilament only, Conventionally, ply/twisted/braided yarns, or threads,are used to produce fabrics. In contrast to such ply/twisted/braidedyarn, or thread, a monofilament is made as a homogeneous piece ofmaterial, and therefore does not have an inner structure in form oftwisted of braided filaments. Rather, a monofilament has theconfiguration of a single string of material. E.g. in case of amonofilament made of polymer, such monofilament may be made by extrudinga polymer material in the form of a thin filament or string. Suchmonofilament will have the configuration of a single homogeneous stringof the polymer material.

Due to the homogeneous structure and due to the absence of any innerstructure of a monofilament, absorption of water or other liquids by amonofilament will be possible only by incorporation of water or liquidmolecules into the molecular structure of the material from which themonofilament is formed. Water absorption rate or liquid absorption ratethus will be determined by the molecular configuration of the materialfrom which the monofilament is formed, but will not be enhanced by innerstructures, like voids or capillars, of the filament, which otherwisemay increase water absorption capability or liquid absorption capabilityof the filament.

Using at least one monofilament 32 made from suitable material, an innerlining layer 24 can be provided which has a relatively low waterabsorption capability. In the embodiment shown, the at least onemonofilament 32 is made of polyamide which is a polymer material knownto have a relatively low affinity to take up water molecules.

The characteristic of the inner lining layer 24 not to have an affinityto absorb water or liquids may be even enhanced by providing the innerlining layer 24 in a configuration having relatively large intersticesformed in between the at least one monofilament 32. Such configurationmay be provided by a knit fabric, as shown in FIG. 3 a/3 b, or by awoven fabric as shown in FIG. 4. In particular an inner lining layer 24in the configuration of a singular knitted three bar warp knit, as shownin FIG. 3 a/3 b, has been proven to combine the characteristics ofrelatively low water or liquid absorption capability with highdurability.

Further, an inner lining with a configuration as described above andshown in FIGS. 3 a/3 b and 4 is lightweight, and thus also is highlyvapor permeable. Using such fabric as the inner lining layer in afootwear article does not impair comfort, as sweat is transported to thefunctional layer efficiently, and transported towards outside via thefunctional layer.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show in an enlarged schematic view a singular knitted,three bar warp knit fabric. Such fabric has turned to be a highlysuitable material for forming the inner lining layer 24. FIG. 3 a showsthe singular knitted, three bar warp knit fabric in a view towards its“right” material side, while FIG. 3 b shows the same singular knitted,three bar warp knit fabric in a view towards its “left” material side.The warp knit structure made of a multiplicity of monofilament yarns (inFIG. 3 a/3 b yarns 32 a, 32 b, 32 c, 32 d are designated exemplary) isclearly visible. Each yarn is a monofilament yarn made of polyamide 6.

A warp-knitted shoe liner fabric of a three-bar construction has athree-dimensional character in the fabric's thickness dimension with alapping pattern of elongated coursewise underlaps at the fabric'stechnical back which, in use, is to be oriented to face inwardly of theinterior foot-receiving area of the shoe. A three bar warp knit ismanufactured using three guide bars on the knitting machine. The threeguide bars carry out lapping movements in a specific feed of themonofilament yarn. This leads to three layers of yarn, in particularmonofilament yarn like PA 6 22 f1, overlapping each other and beingconnected to each other. In one example the following lapping patternmay result (with L1=lapping pattern of guide bar 1; L2=lapping patternof guide bar 2; L3=lapping pattern of guide bar 3): L1: 1-0/1-2//PA 6 22f1; L2: 2-3/1-0//PA 6 22 f1; L3: 2-3/1-0//PA 6 22 f1.

The textile weight of the inner lining layer 24 may be between 50 g/m²and 130 g/m². In some embodiments the textile weight of the inner lininglayer is not more than 130 g/m².

The inner lining layer may be very thin, in particular if made frommechanically durable material and provided in a mechanically durableconfiguration like a suitable knit or woven made of tear resistantpolymer. In some embodiments, Thickness of the inner lining layer 24 maybe less than 1.5 mm, or even less than 1 mm. Particularly, the innerlining layer may have a thickness in a range of 1-0.5 mm, particularlyat around 0.8 mm. Using such lining layers 24, lightweight and thushighly vapour permeable, but yet durable footwear upper assemblies 12can be provided. A footwear article 10 with such upper assembly 12 canbe used in warm climate conditions, e.g. in deserts or tropical regions,despite the fact it is provided with a waterproof and water vapourpermeable functional layer 22. In particular for use with such footweararticle 10, the upper assembly 12 may be provided with a functionallayer 22 of highly vapor permeable configuration.

A particular advantage of using an inner lining layer 24 as describedabove in a footwear article 10, is that such footwear article may havethe capability of re-drying quickly after it has become wet on theinside. Neither the inner lining layer 24 nor the functional layer 22attached to it do absorb significant amounts of water or other liquids.Thus, such water or other liquids may be desorbed relatively fast andefficiently by simply turning the footwear article 10 upside down, byshaking and air dry, and/or by possible heating up.

The layers of the upper laminate 16 may be joined together utilizing avariety of methods. One such method includes utilizing adhesives. Theadhering to form the upper laminate 16 can be effected either withadhesive which has been applied in continuous form, i.e., over the wholearea, or with adhesive which has been applied discontinuously, i.e. withgaps. Water-vapor-permeable adhesive is used in the case of a continuousadhesive layer being applied. For the use of a discontinuous adhesivelayer, for example applied in powder, dot, net or matrix form, it ispossible to use an adhesive which is not inherentlywater-vaporpermeable. Powdered adhesive may be desirable due to its lowcost and the ease of adjusting adhesive laydowns. In this case, watervapor permeability is maintained by only a fraction of the surface ofthe layer being covered with adhesive.

The adhesive layer can be a layer of thermo-activatable adhesive. Ifthis thermo-activatable adhesive is used for manufacturing a laminate 16from which footwear is manufactured the activation of the laminatingadhesive can be affected by a heating device either applied from theinside or from the outside of the shoe.

Alternatively, the individual layers of the upper laminate 16 may belaminated together utilizing ultrasonic bond, a seam seal, a heat bond,or the like. Similarly the upper laminate 16 and the outer shell 14 maybe laminated together utilizing adhesive as described above, oralternatively using ultrasonic bond, a seam seal, a heat bond, or thelike.

Example 1

An upper laminate 16 was made having a three layer configuration, asfollows:

-   a) an outer textile layer 26 made of nonwoven polyester-   b) a waterproof, vapor permeable microporous ePTFE functional layer    22; and-   c) an inner lining layer 24 made of a polyamide (100% PA 6)    monofilaments in the configuration of a three bar warp knit fabric    with a yarn of 100% Mono dtex22/f1, a thickness of 0.29 mm, and    weight of 57 g/m².

Such laminate was additionally provided with

-   d) a polyurethane adhesive layer formed by powder scattering on the    outer textile layer, thus forming a discontinuous adhesive pattern    on the outer textile layer.

The three layers a), b) and c) were laminated together using adiscontinuous hot melt adhesive. In a separate step, the adhesive layerd) is formed on the outer textile layer.

The thickness of the upper laminate 16, including the adhesive layer d),was 0.49 mm. The weight of the upper laminate was 144 g/m².

According the Hohenstein skin model method described above, the upperlaminate had an RET of about 4.5 m² Pa/W.

The upper laminate 16 was also tested for abrasion resistance utilizingthe Abrasion Resistance Test described above. The laminate fulfilled thewet abrasion rate requirement of 300000 cycles Martindale (EN-ISO20344:2004).

The upper laminate 16 was also tested for water absorption rate andre-dry time according to the methods described above. The results arelisted in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Properties of upper laminate and article of footwear accordingto example 1, compared to reference examples 1 and 2: Properties Example1 Reference 1 Reference 2 configuration of three layer three layer fourlayer upper laminate (16) laminate with laminate without laminatediscontinuous adhesive adhesive layer layer configuration of two barknit two bar knit two bar knit outer textile layer of polyamide (PA) ofpolyamide (PA) of polyamide (PA) configuration of ePTFE ePTFE ePTFE/PUfunctional layer (22) configuration of three bar warp knit of three barwarp knit of two layer- inner lining layer (24) monofilamentmultifilament thermobonded non-woven material of 100% PA6 70% PA6 + 30%PES 100% PA/ inner lining layer (24) (polyester) 100% PES thickness of0.29 mm 0.5 1.94 inner lining layer (24) [mm] thickness of 0.49 0.72 2.2upper laminate (16) [mm] RET of 4.5 6 15 upper laminate (16) [m²Pa/W]textile weight of 57 140 275 inner lining layer (24) [g/m²] textileweight of 144 240 344 upper laminate (16) [g/m²] wet abrasion of 30000051200 50000 upper laminate (16) [min. cycles Martindale EN-ISO20344:2004] water absorption rate of 28 42 87 inner lining layer (26)when included in upper laminate (16) [%] re-dry time of 30 60 180 upperlaminate (16) [min] whole boot moisture permeation >8.5 g/h 5.6 g/h 4.8g/h rate [g/h]

For preparing an upper assembly 12, the upper laminate 16 was bonded toan outer shell 14 made of leather/textile combination. Adhesion wasobtained by fitting the upper laminate 16 and the outer shell 14 onto ahot aluminium last and pressing the stack of layers together using asilicon rubber shape or a 360° membrane press. The arrangement of outershell 14 and upper laminate 16 was such that the adhesive layer of theupper laminate 16 was in direct contact with the inside of the outershell 14. Temperature of the last was set so as to activate the adhesivelayer during the pressing process.

When assembled on the last, the lower edge of the upper laminate 16exceeded beyond the lower edge of the outer shell 14 by 3 to 6 mm.

To prepare the upper assembly 12 of the footwear article 10, thelaminate obtained in the procedure described above, i.e. including theouter shell 14 and the upper laminate 16, was fitted onto a last. In theexample, the last had the form of a boot. An insole board 28 wasattached to the underside of the last by staples, tape or adhesive dots.The stack formed by outer shell 14 and upper laminate 16 bonded togetherwas wrapped around the last, and the outer shell/upper laminate stackwas pulled over the toe region of the last. Using a lasting machine, thetoe region of the outer shell/upper laminate stack was then attached tothe insole board 28 using a hot melt adhesive that was appliedautomatically by the lasting machine. A second lasting machine was thenused to complete the lasting of the side and heel areas of the upperassembly 12.

After the lasting operations were finished, the lower edge of the upperlaminate 16 exceeding from the lower edge of the outer shell 14 wasvisible on the bottom side of the upper assembly 12.

In order to complete manufacturing of the footwear article 10, a soleunit 18 was applied according to any of the following constructions: (i)Cemented sole, by cementing a prefabricated outsole to the bottom of theupper assembly 12, or (ii) Injected sole, by direct injection of solematerial to the bottom of the upper assembly 12.

(i) Cemented Construction:

The bottom of the upper assembly 12 was sealed using a Hot Melt PUadhesive applied in the total surface of the bottom of the upperassembly 12, and then pressed with a hydraulic system press to guaranteeperfect adhesion of the hot melt. The exceeded lining was completelysealed creating the waterproofness of the footwear bottom.

A prefabricricated outsole and the bottom of the upper assembly 12 withthe adhesive applied thereto where then heated in a flash activator, asis standard in the art. The prefabricated outsole was then attached tothe bottom of the upper assembly 12 and pressed onto the bottom of theupper assembly 12 in the sole press. The sole press was configured in astandard setup used for sole attachment. The finished article offootwear 10 was allowed to cool and the last was removed from thearticle of footwear 10, as described in WO 00/44252.

(ii) Injected Construction:

The upper assembly 12 was fitted onto a last and closed in the bottom byan insole 28, as described above. The lasted upper assembly 12 wasplaced in a mold of a direct injection machine. The mold was closedaround the upper assembly 12 such that the bottom of the upper assemblyformed the top side of the mold. Hot liquid PU material was injectedinto the mold such as to fill the mold and seal the bottom side of theupper assembly 12, thereby forming a seal with the exceeded part of theupper laminate 16 and creating the outsole 18. The penetration of thepolyurethane into the structure of the exceeding upper laminate 16 wascreating the complete waterproofness of the footwear bottom.

The footwear article obtained by the cemented construction describedabove as well as obtained by the injected construction above was thentested for waterproofness according to the test for whole bootwaterproofness described above (“Dynamic Footwear Water PenetrationTest”). The article of footwear passed the test.

Whole boot moisture vapor transmission rate was tested according to atest method as described above. As a result, the footwear article 10having a cemented sole construction as well as the footwear article 10having an injected sole construction showed a whole boot moisture vaportransmission rate of greater 8.5 g/h

Comparative Example 1

An upper laminate 16 was made having a three layer configuration, asfollows:

-   a) an outer textile layer 26 made of a two bar knit of polyamide;-   b) a waterproof, vapor permeable microporous ePTFE functional layer    22; and-   c) an inner lining layer 24 made of a three bar knit of 70%    polyamide 6 and 30% polyester multifilaments with a thickness of 0.5    mm, and a weight of 140 g/m².

The three layers were laminated together using a discontinuous adhesivepattern. The thickness of the laminate 16 was 0.72 mm. The weight of thelaminate was 240 g/m².

The RET of the laminate was about 6 m² Pa/W according to the Hohensteinskin model method described above.

The laminate was also tested for abrasion resistance utilizing theAbrasion Resistance Test described above. The laminate was measured tofulfil the wet abrasion rate requirement of 51000 cycles Martindale(EN-ISO 20344:2004).

The laminate was also tested for water absorption rate and re-dry timeaccording to the methods described above. The results are listed inTable 1.

Comparative Example 2

An upper laminate 16 was made having a four layer configuration, asfollows:

-   a) an outer textile layer 26 made of a two bar knit of polyamide;-   b) a waterproof, vapor permeable microporous ePTFE/hydrophilic PU    functional layer 22 as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,041;    comprising, and-   c) an inner lining layer 24 comprising a first layer made of    multifilaments in the configuration of a 72% polyamide (PA), 28%    polyester (PES) warp knit. The inner lining layer 24 comprises also    a second nonwoven insulation layer made of 100% polyester (PES)    attached to the outer side of the first layer using a powder    adhesive.

The three layers were laminated together using a discontinuous adhesivepattern The thickness of the laminate 16 was 2.2 mm. The weight of thelaminate was 344 g/m².

The RET of the laminate was about 15 m² Pa/W according to the Hohensteinskin model method described above.

The laminate was also tested for abrasion resistance utilizing theAbrasion Resistance Test described above. The laminate fulfilled a wetabrasion rate of 50000 cycles Martindale (EN-ISO 20344:2004).

The laminate was also tested for water absorption rate and re-dry timeaccording to the tests described above. The results are listed in Table1.

What is claimed is:
 1. An upper assembly for a waterproof, water vaporpermeable footwear article, the upper assembly comprising a laminateincluding a waterproof water vapor permeable functional layer and aninner lining layer directly attached to the functional layer on an innerside of functional layer; characterized in that the inner lining layeris a knitted or woven fabric made with monofilaments.
 2. The upperassembly of claim 1, wherein the inner lining layer is made up withmonofilaments having a water absorption rate of less than 40% accordingto DIN EN 29865 (1991).
 3. The upper assembly of claim 1, wherein theinner lining layer has a textile weight of not more than 130 g/m²,particularly not more than 100 g/m², particularly of not more than 90g/m², particularly of 50 g/m² to 130 g/m².
 4. The upper assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the laminate has a weight of less than 200 g/m²,particularly less than 170 g/m², particularly of less than 150 g/m²,particularly of 30 g/m² to 170 g/m².
 5. The upper assembly of claim 1,further comprising an outer shell, the laminate being attached to aninner side of the outer shell.
 6. The upper assembly of claim 5, whereinthe laminate is directly attached to the outer shell using adiscontinuous adhesive.
 7. The upper assembly of claim 1, wherein thelaminate has a dry-out time of less than one hour, particularly of lessthan 30 minutes, particularly of less than 20 minutes, particularly of15 minutes to 45 minutes.
 8. The upper assembly of claim 1, wherein theinner lining layer has a wet abrasion resistance of more than 100000cycles Martindale (EN-ISO 20344:2004).
 9. The upper assembly of claim 1,wherein the inner lining layer is a warp knit, particularly a three barwarp knit.
 10. The upper assembly of claim 1, wherein the inner lininglayer is a singular knitted fabric.
 11. The upper assembly of claim 1,wherein the inner lining layer is made of any of the group consisting ofpolyamide, e.g. polyamide 6 and/or polyamide 6.6, polyester, andcombinations thereof.
 12. The upper assembly of any of claim 1, whereinthe functional layer comprises a porous membrane made of expandedpolytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE).
 13. The upper assembly of claim 1,wherein the laminate further comprises an outer textile layer attachedto an outer side of the functional layer.
 14. The upper assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the laminate extends around the upper side of the foot.15. The upper assembly of claim 1, wherein the laminate, at least on theside of the inner lining layer, is seam sealable without the use of aprimer.
 16. The upper assembly of any of claim 1, wherein the innerlayer of the laminate is the innermost layer of the upper assembly. 17.A waterproof, water vapor permeable footwear article comprising an upperassembly according to claim 1, and a sole in communication with theupper assembly.
 18. The article of claim 17, wherein the article has awhole boot moisture vapor transmission rate of 7 g/hr or greater. 19.The article of claim 18, being configured such as to not show any waterpenetration when subjected to 100000 flexes in a test as described inISO 20344:2011 5.15.2 “Dynamic footwear water penetration test (FlexTest)”.
 20. The article of claim 18, being configured such as to notshow any water penetration when subjected to 300000 flexes in a test asdescribed in ISO 20344:2011 5.15.2 “Dynamic footwear water penetrationtest (Flex Test)”.